Dubai property glossary: the terms an international investor actually needs

Every off-plan purchase in Dubai comes with its own vocabulary, and most of it arrives as an acronym in an email from a developer's sales team. None of it is complicated once someone walks you through it once. This glossary groups the terms in the order you actually meet them, from choosing a project to owning it years later, and each entry links to the full answer if you want the detail behind the definition.

Before you reserve: reading a project

Off-plan. A property sold before, or during, construction, based on floor plans and a developer's specification rather than a finished unit you can walk through. Read what off-plan property means for the full picture of how this differs from buying something completed.

Freehold. A form of ownership that gives a foreign buyer full title to a property, available in designated freehold zones across Dubai rather than everywhere in the city. Our guide on freehold versus leasehold in Dubai explains the difference and where it applies.

RERA. The Real Estate Regulatory Agency, the regulatory arm of the Dubai Land Department. RERA licenses developers before they can sell off-plan, licenses the brokers who sell on their behalf, and sets the rules for escrow accounts. See what RERA is and what it guarantees a buyer.

DLD. The Dubai Land Department, the government body that registers every property transaction in Dubai, from an off-plan Oqood registration to a completed title deed. Read what DLD is and what it registers for how the two authorities fit together.

Money, contracts and protection

Escrow account. A dedicated bank account opened for a single project, controlled under DLD rules, where every buyer's payments land. The developer can only draw from it as construction milestones are independently certified. Our guide on where your money goes in escrow covers how funds are released and how to check a project's status yourself.

Oqood. The DLD's registration system for off-plan sales, recording your contract against a specific unit before the building exists and before a title deed can be issued. See what Oqood is.

SPA (Sales Purchase Agreement). The contract that sets the price, the payment schedule, the exact unit specification, and what happens if either party fails to perform. Read what an SPA covers before you sign one.

Source of funds and KYC. The checks your bank, and sometimes the developer's compliance team, run before accepting a significant international transfer, standard anti-money-laundering practice rather than anything specific to your purchase. See source of funds and KYC explained.

DLD fees and purchase costs. The 4% registration fee charged on a property sale, plus the fixed Oqood registration and the developer's own admin charge, all separate from the unit price itself. Our guide on Dubai property purchase costs puts the full budget in one table.

ORVEN PROPERTIES

Talk to an Orven adviser

Leave your number: an adviser calls you back or replies on WhatsApp, in your language. No commitment.

Your name

Phone (WhatsApp)

Budget (optional)Best time to call (your local time)

From handover to move-in

Handover and snagging. Handover is the moment the developer transfers a completed unit to you; snagging is the inspection just before it, where defects are listed and corrected before you sign off. Read what handover and snagging mean.

Title deed. The DLD document confirming your ownership, issued once the building is complete, your payments are settled, and the unit is handed over. It replaces the Oqood registration used during construction. See what a title deed is and when you receive it.

Service charges. The annual fee, set per building, that funds maintenance of shared areas and amenities once the property is completed. Paid by the owner, not the tenant. Read service charges in Dubai: who pays.

Ejari. The DLD's rental registration system, giving a lease legal standing and the record tenants need for utility connections. Relevant once you rent the unit out, covered in the wider question of renting out a Dubai property from abroad.

Later in ownership

NOC (No Objection Certificate). A letter from the developer confirming your account is up to date, required by the DLD before it will register a resale to a new buyer. Read what an NOC is and why you need it to resell.

Reselling before handover. Off-plan units can generally be resold before completion, subject to the developer's NOC process and whatever conditions your specific SPA sets. See can you resell an off-plan property before handover.

Developer delay. What happens if a project runs past its expected completion date depends on your contract's grace period and its specific clauses, not a market-wide rule. Read what happens if the developer is late.

Post-handover payment plan. A structure where part of the price is paid after you already hold the keys, distinct from the construction-linked instalments due before completion. See what a post-handover payment plan means.

Golden Visa. A long-term residency route available, under conditions, to buyers whose property investment reaches the published AED 2 million threshold. Read the Golden Visa property threshold explained.

Power of attorney. A legal document that lets someone sign on your behalf in Dubai, useful if you cannot be present for a specific step of the purchase or handover. See power of attorney for a remote purchase.

Using this list with your adviser

None of these terms are meant to be memorised in isolation. What matters is knowing which one applies at each stage of your purchase, and asking your adviser to confirm it in writing when a document uses it against your specific unit. If a term you have heard is not on this list, ask us directly rather than guessing from a general definition; contract wording varies by developer and by project.

Send us a message on WhatsApp at +971 52 776 1939 or write to sales@orvenproperties.com with the term or the document that is unclear, and we will point you to the exact clause or guide that answers it.

FAQ

Do I need to understand every term before I reserve a unit? No. Your adviser walks you through the ones relevant to your specific purchase before you sign anything; this glossary is a reference to return to, not a prerequisite.

Are these terms the same across every developer in Dubai? The underlying DLD and RERA framework is the same for every registered project. What varies by developer is the payment schedule structure, the NOC process, and specific clauses inside each SPA.

Where do I check the official status of a project myself? The DLD's Project Status Enquiry service lets you look up a registered project's completion percentage independently of the developer or Orven.

What if a contract uses a term that is not in this glossary? Ask your adviser to explain it against the specific clause before you sign. Contract language can vary, and a term's meaning in your document is what matters, not a general definition.